


Ever Again

by SummerStormFlower



Category: Disney Duck Universe, Quack Pack
Genre: Bruises, Bullying, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Quack Pack - Freeform, Sad, This is completely self indulgent, the triplets are teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 01:43:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20368579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerStormFlower/pseuds/SummerStormFlower
Summary: Dewey is being bullied and doesn't tell his brothers.





	Ever Again

The cyber-bullying came first. Then came the verbal bullying. Dewey could handle it. His mind was strong, and he never took anything they said to heart. He knew he was loved by his family and friends and he liked who he was. That was enough.

But then came the physical bullying. And Dewey couldn't handle it very well.

The words came right after the punches, and suddenly it was like they'd taken on a whole new meaning. Every name they called him was a knife to his heart, plunging deep and twisting inside him. He tried to tell himself the words weren't true, but why would they hit him unless they were true?

He didn't get angry. He didn't try to fight back. Because with every word that cut into him, the more he felt he deserved to be hit.

It hurt every time. He cried out every time.

The first time he went home with bruises, Dewey wore long sleeves. He acted normal. He talked at dinner, cleared off the table, and watched a movie with his family. Nobody noticed a thing.

The second time he went home with bruises, he was sore. He ran himself a hot bath and rubbed ointment on his skin to take away the ache. At dinner, Daisy sniffed the air and asked what smelled. Dewey froze because it was the ointment. Huey saw him. Louie shrugged and that was the end of the conversation, but Huey kept looking at him.

The third time he went home with bruises, he ran himself a hot bath, but didn't risk putting ointment on. Which he regretted. Louie said something innocent and Dewey snapped at him. Uncle Donald clapped him on the shoulder and Dewey winced. Huey kept looking at him.

The fourth time he went home with bruises, Dewey bought non-scented ointment, but Huey found it in the bathroom cabinet. Dewey told him it was growing pains. He knew Huey didn't believe him.

But what was he supposed to say? He was being hit at school because he deserved it.

The fifth time he went home with bruises, Dewey just wanted to go to sleep. He didn't talk at dinner, forgot to clear off the table, and didn't watch a movie with his family. He tossed and turned in bed, until the fire in his body ebbed away and he fell asleep. Louie was starting to notice things.

The sixth time Dewey went home with bruises, he felt like crying. He locked himself in the bathroom and didn't come out for hours.

The seventh, eighth and ninth time were agony.

The tenth time, Huey sat beside him on the sofa. Dewey was expecting an interrogation, but Huey was surprisingly gentle. He told Dewey that he could tell him anything. Dewey was so, so tempted to tell him, but he was too ashamed. His family loved him, yet he was starting to doubt that, and it made him feel horrible.

"Thanks, Hugh," was all Dewey said, and felt like the biggest jerk in the world when Huey left, looking hurt.

Dewey didn't deserve him.

The eleventh time, Louie asked him what was wrong.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Then why are your eyes so red?"

Dewey didn't reply. Louie begged him to talk to him. Dewey started sobbing. Louie held him.

He didn't deserve Louie. He didn't deserve Huey. He didn't deserve either of them.

The twelfth time, Uncle Donald hugged him and didn't let go for a long time. It was like Dewey had been pulled out of the ocean, allowed to breathe after so long. Distantly, in the back of his mind, he heard a voice call him selfish for reveling in this feeling. For once, he ignored it.

When Uncle Donald finally had to let go, Dewey couldn't breathe again.

The thirteenth time, he was sandwiched between Huey and Louie, crying, and he wanted to tell them so, so badly. But the words lodged in his throat, and the voice in his mind kept torturing him. He covered his ears, but it didn't help. Huey and Louie held him tighter. That helped a little.

The fourteenth time was a blur of blues and purples, pain and stinging tears.

Louie once touched his arm, light as a feather, barely even there. Dewey cried out.

The last time Dewey came home with bruises, Huey sat him down on a chair, and Louie rushed to get the first aid kit. They taped butterfly bandages on his face, careful not to hurt him.

"What happened?" Louie asked, looking at him sadly.

"And don't you dare lie to us," Huey said sternly.

Dewey backed away from their hands. His lips moved.

He didn't mean to let it slip.

"They said you guys don't love me."

Louie was crestfallen.

"Who said that?" Huey asked, quiet anger in his voice.

Dewey felt tiny. He wanted to run, run, run, but it hurt too much.

"That's a lie," Louie said, reaching for Dewey. "That's a lie!" he said more firmly, and he rarely raised his voice, so Dewey knew he meant it. "We love you. So much. Even at your lowest."

Hearing that was like something in his core moving to fit where it belonged with a click.

Still, Dewey shook his head. "I don't deserve-"

"Don't say that," Huey said, "I am going to kill whoever did this to you."

Knowing Huey, he probably meant that.

Finally, finally Dewey stopped resisting them. A wave of exhaustion swept over him and he slumped in his chair.

Huey stood up, gently pressing an ice pack to the side of Dewey's face, making him shiver. "You're our brother. It's our job to love you, especially when you think you don't deserve it. I take pride in my job."

Dewey believed him, and didn't feel bad for believing him.

He let them take care of him. He let Louie roll his sleeves up to see the other bruises. He let Huey get mad.

For the first time in a long time, he felt good.

The next day, he stayed home from school. Huey and Louie got back two hours late with dirty fists and satisfied grins.

Dewey was certain nobody would ever bother him again.


End file.
